The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for combusting wet waste.
The disposal of wet waste by incineration has traditionally proved to be a problem because of the high costs and especially high fuel costs involved in doing so. As used herein the term "wet waste" refers to that waste material catagorized by the Environmental Protection Administration as Type 4, i.e., combustible waste material having a high content of fire retardant, for example, water or chlorine, and having a low fuel value, averaging approximately 3,000 to 5,000 btus per pound. Such wet waste includes animal remains and body tissue which must be disposed of by hospital research facilities and the like and are especially troublesome.
With regard to animal carcass and the like, the cost of fuel used in a typical incinerator can run to eighty dollars ($80) or more per ton of carcass. This amount of auxilliary fuel is required to burn the waste sufficiently to overcome the fire retarding characteristics of water content in the waste. Such water content can be at least 30 to 50 percent of the mass of the carcass, and in some instances can be up to 70 percent.
In addition to the aforementioned fuel costs, wet waste incinerators also generally require scrubbers et al to control the amount of particulate and other emissions to bring the capacity of these emissions down to a desired level as required by law. "Opacity" as used herein refers to the capacity of off-gas to obstruct the transmission of light, expressed as a percentage. No obstruction is expressed as 0 (zero) percent while total obstruction is expressed as 100 percent. Volatile hydrocarbon soot and other uncombusted particulates are major causes of emissions of high opacity from such incinerators.
Bearing in mind these and other deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for incinerating wet waste.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wet waste incineration method and apparatus which utilizes significantly less fuel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wet waste incineration method and apparatus which significantly reduces the opacity of off-gas emissions.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a wet waste incineration apparatus which is of compact and efficient construction.
Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in more detail hereinafter.
A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relations of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth an illustrative embodiment and is indicative of the way in which the principle of the invention is employed.